Vascular Interventional Radiology Consulting

Vascular Interventional Radiology Consultations with Santa Fe Radiology specialists are regularly scheduled at Santa Fe Imaging. Appointments are generally made through the referring physician’s office in conjunction with a treatment plan.

Interventional Radiologists (IRs) use their expertise in reading X-rays, ultrasound and other medical images to guide small instruments such as catheters or stents through the blood vessels or other pathways to treat disease through the skin. These procedures are typically much less invasive and much less costly than traditional surgery.

What are some Common Uses of Interventional Radiology?

Angiography – Enabling views of blood circulation & the interior of blood vessels by using a catheter to reach the location of blockages in veins, then inserting a contrast agent (dye) to increase the detail available in X-rays.

Balloon Angioplasty – Procedure to restore blood flow through narrowed blood vessels by inserting a small balloon and inflating it.

Biliary Drainage and Stenting – Using diagnostic imaging to place a small mesh tube called a stent into a bile duct in the liver, so that blocked bile can drain

Central Venous Access – Inserting a tube beneath the skin and into a blood vessel to deliver medication or nutrients directly into the blood stream.

Chemoembolization – Delivering cancer-fighting agents directly to the site of a tumor, often used to treat endocrine system and liver cancers.

Embolization – Stopping bleeding or blocking blood flow to a problem area (e.g., aneurysms or uterine fibroid tumors) by delivering clotting agents in the forms of gel, foam, coils, or plastic directly to the site.

Fallopian Tube Catheterization – Using a catheter to reach and open blocked fallopian tubes without surgery: sometimes used as part of infertility treatments.

Gastrostomy Tube – Inserting a tube directly into the stomach to delivery nutrients for patients who are unable to eat enough food by mouth, or who cannot safely swallow.

Needle Biopsy Obtaining a sample of cells for laboratory testing by using a needle to draw fluid and/or tissue from lumps, infections, or inflammations; samples are then examined in a laboratory to detect the presence of cancer in breasts, lungs, and other areas.

Radio frequency (RF) Ablation Guiding a probe with an electrode at its tip to a problem area and then transmitting a painless radiofrequency energy to treat certain conditions; frequently used to heat and kill cancerous tumors, or to treat some types of rapid heart beating.

Stent A small flexible tube used to treat a variety of medical conditions in blood vessels, urinary tracts, and other areas of the body.

Stent-graft A tubular device made of special fabric and a rigid support structure that reinforces a weakened, ruptured, or ballooning section of an artery (an aneurysm)

Thrombolysis Injecting drugs at the exact site of a clot to dissolve it.